Her Sin Was Pride

XIV

"The enemy of unity is fear but the predator of fear is courage"

She ended up staying in the cult far long than intended this time around, all of the followers sitting with her in the Temple or around the bonfire at night as she went over the basics of the language. It was fine, thus far they had no further goals and during their last outing they had taken care to collect and return with a sufficient amount of lumber and stone to continue the efforts toward cleaning up the Garden. It was a unique experience, one that awoke a series of emotions and thoughts that Eve hadn't been beholden to since... well, since they were just a little lamb.

The world was not a kind place in the wake of the prophecy and everyone expected her to despise the bishops for what they'd done to sheep-kind, tried using it to bait her into terrible decisions. The truth was... though the bishops had given the command, announced the cruel order to have all sheep slaughtered and created bounties for those covered in wool, it was the people themselves that had killed them. Eve remembers thinking she was safe, so many times her flock would run into another and they would find themselves fighting for their lives as those other sheep tried to sacrifice Eve's flock.

The decision had been made among those who were still noble to change their signs, amend them and not to let any other flock learn their family's versions. The rule had already been in place when Eve was born - when she was on the run, the Palm Tongues that each flock spoke were distinct and hard to translate when you only knew your own. The patterns and derivations didn't make sense as colloquialisms and inside-jokes were commodified and made into proper grammar and words. It kept her safe even after she'd ended up alone, after the bishops stole the secrets of the signs from other flocks because Eve had created her own tongue after a time, borrowing and changing signs as she learned and stole the knowledge from other sheep on the run. A dialect and code only the small group she trusted could fully understand - it was why she'd been blindsided by Haron's betrayal - she wondered how much coin the damn weasel had been promised to sell her out. Or if he'd been forced at knife-point.

No matter.

As the last lamb and now, a known enemy of the bishops, there was no point in her hiding her tongue anymore.

They were still sloppy, struggling to remember to use their faces as well as their hands when they tried to work actively instead of just doing it as they felt but still... it was nice to be really... speaking to others again.

Such an intriguing manner of speech, noted the Crimson Eye as she concluded the sermon for the day, the power settling warmly into her body. She was getting better at these, starting to be able to improv and add additions and personal ideals to what the Crown conducted her to say. I have not seen a speech like it in many a lifetime.

The Elders always said that Silent Tongues have survived in secrecy before even your true bearer was crowned, Eve responded and placed the book back upon the podium. She glanced toward the empty shelves surrounding her - perhaps she could expand the number of books that she had here. It had surprised her to discover that Amdusias and Valefor were both literate, both of them citing that their former lord had bent the knee to his elder sibling's insistence that a disciple was more resistant to nonsense when they were capable of reading. It would be nice to ensure that my knowledge can never be lost.

You intend to inscribe the mythos of your life?

Though the people allowed themselves to be ruled by fear and selfishness in the end, the ways of the sheep deserve not to be forgotten, said Eve.

Especially...

You mourn piteously the life of a dog when your own kind is lost?

The guardians were far nobler in death than my people ended up being in life, Eve said and marveled slightly at her mind's voice managing to still come off as sharp and defensive. If any lives deserve to be memorialized, it is the lives of the dogs who dedicated their existence to protecting us.

She nodded lightly to Maon who waved back happily from where she paused working on the budding farm-plots.The little bunny had tentatively broached the idea with her and Eve had praised her appropriately for furthering the development and longevity of this cult. It would be nice to be able to cut down on the number of berries and butchered wild-life she needed to ferry back and forth between these outings.

You should make haste to venture out once more - you lack sufficient heretic bones to continue our rituals.

Why can we not perform the bonfire ritual without bones? Eve asked, though aloud, she announced her intentions to leave all the same. Her question was born of inquisitively rather than rebellion after all.

It has always been performed with the bones of the unworthy.

But perhaps it is a waste to use bones for this ritual. Would it not make more sense to craft effigies of which to burn?

She could feel the Red Crown's pause as it mused over their suggestion.

...Effigy?

Like the shrine the followers built - construct one in the images of the Old Faith and burn them in honor of the One Who Waits. An act that could be especially important for those who once served them closely such as Amdusias and Valefor.

...this idea bears merit. Very well, upon return from this crusade, let us partake in the burning of the Old Faith.

I shall work on my speech.